Tiny Cottage In Finland Is An Ecological Urban Retreat

In Finland, it is typical to find camping areas within cities so locals can spend time in nature without venturing far from home. I was not aware of this fact before reading about this beautiful tiny cottage in Lauttasaari, near Helsinki, Finland, but it’s an attractive idea. Escapes from city life are something most of us crave, but convenience is a factor that prevents many of us from enjoying nature as much as we would like. With this in mind, this cottage was built by Verstas Architects as a retreat home for a 4 person family. It sits surrounded by woods, but is a short distance from the family’s main home and work places, making it a simple, practical, ecological retreat.

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

This tiny cottage has only 14 square meters, or 150 square feet, of living space. It sits nestled in the trees and overlooks the nearby sea, yet is conveniently located within Finland’s capital city of Helsinki. In a city of over 640,000 people, can you imagine having an exclusive getaway like this, where you can easily escape city life on a whim? It truly is the best of both worlds!

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

The cabin entrance brings you into the kitchen – a small area made to look spacious with full windows from which to enjoy the outside views. The ample counter space is perfect for food preparation or for the kids in the family to sit and work on homework.

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

The home is full of creative storage areas and shelf spaces. There is even storage space below the floor. As the family’s home is only a few miles from the cottage, many items that typically clutter up a home are unnecessary here.

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

The living space doubles as a sleeping area for the family of four. The sofas are large enough for the family to sit comfortably, and they convert into beds when needed. In addition, the small loft above the seating area comfortably sleeps one.

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

Electricity usage in the cottage is so small that the home can easily be powered with a small solar panel setup. The home is designed to be used year round in all weather, so a small wood stove was installed to keep the home cozy in winter.

Photo by Andreas Meichsner

When you step outside the cottage, you see a path that leads through the trees to a nearby sandy beach. This little home is truly something charming: a tiny cottage within the city, yet surrounded by trees and isolated from city life.

A lot is achieved by including areas for this kind of use in the town plan: the environmental burden caused by the cottages decreases and the social control in park areas increases. This makes urban parks safer places for everyone.

Photo by Andreas MeichsnerPhoto by Andreas Meichsner

This is a way of life. We wanted a place that would be easy to go to, and if necessary we could go home to take a shower or deal with urgent matters. Because our home is so close by, it’s also possible to leave unnecessary stuff at home and bring things to the cottage only when necessary. – Jussi Palva